COCONUT MILK RICE PUDDING BRÛLÉE

This eye-popping coconut milk rice pudding brûlée is a new take on an old classic. I substituted coconut for dairy in my family's rice pudding recipe – which made it vegan – and added a bit of French flair with the sugar crust for a dish that is simple, yet refined.

– ¾ cup long grain rice – 4 cups coconut milk – 2 cups coconut cream – ½ cup brown sugar or more, to taste – 1 teaspoon salt – 3 cinnamon sticks or 1½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon – Seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract – A pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg – A pinch of lime or orange zest – ½ teaspoon clove powder – 1 cup freshly-grated coconut – ⅓ cup cane sugar for the caramel(optional)

Ingredients:

In the saucepan, combine rice, 4 cups of water, coconut milk, coconut cream, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon powder or sticks, vanilla, nutmeg, lime zest, and clove powder and grated coconut. Let it rest covered for an hour.

Step 1:

Take the saucepan to the stove and boil covered over medium-low heat until the grains of rice have nearly tripled in size or until the liquids have reduced and it's creamy and thick. Stir often while cooking to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom and scorching.

Step 2:

Remove from the heat and pour into a glass bowl, stir until it has cooled to room temperature. Pour the rice pudding into a broiler-safe baking pan, cover with aluminum foil and chill in the refrigerator (the aluminum foil will prevent it from over-drying in the fridge.

Step 3:

Remove the aluminum foil. Sprinkle cane sugar on top and burn the sugar with a torch, or place in the broiler over high heat until the sugar caramelizes. Serve immediately.

Step 4:

You can adapt this to your preferences quite easily, so if there's any of the spices you dislike, leave it out.

Serve:

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